An interlace image signal is converted to a progressive image signal. It is decided whether each pixel of one of the first field and the second field is in a static area or a moving area. If a pixel of one field is in the static area, pixel data of the pixel of the one field and pixel data of a corresponding pixel of the other field are output as pixel data of the same pixels of an odd number line and an even number line in the progressive image. If a pixel of the one field is in the moving area, interpolated data of the pixel of the one field and interpolated data of a corresponding pixel of the other field are output as pixel data of the same pixels of an odd number line and an even number line in the progressive image. The interpolated data is filtered pixel data along temporal direction and spatial direction.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A method for converting an interlace image signal to a progressive image signal, the interlace image signal having a first field of pixel data of odd number lines and a second field of pixel data of even number lines, the progressive image signal having a frame of pixel data of odd number lines and even number lines, comprising: calculating a difference of pixel data between a pixel of one field and a corresponding pixel of a previous one field, the one field being the first field or the second field; deciding whether the pixel of the one field is in a static area or a moving area based on the difference; outputting, if the pixel of the one field is in the static area, pixel data of the pixel of the one field and pixel data of a corresponding pixel of the other field as pixel data of the same pixels of an odd number line and an even number line in the progressive image; and outputting, if the pixel of the one field is in the moving area, interpolated data of the pixel of the one field and interpolated data of a corresponding pixel of the other field as pixel data of the same pixels of an odd number line and an even number line in the progressive image, the interpolated data being filtered pixel data along a temporal direction and a spatial direction.
2. The method according to claim 1 , at the deciding step, further comprising: deciding, if the difference is below a threshold, that the pixel is in the static area, and deciding, if the difference is not below the threshold, that the pixel is in the moving area.
3. The method according to claim 1 , at the first outputting step, further comprising: outputting the pixel data of a decided pixel of the one field as pixel data of the same pixel of one of an odd number line and an even number line corresponding to the one field in the progressive image.
4. The method according to claim 3 , further comprising: outputting the pixel data of a pixel of the other field corresponding to the decided pixel as pixel data of the same pixel of the other of an odd number line and an even number line in the progressive image.
5. The method according to claim 1 , at the second outputting step, further comprising: linearly combining the pixel data of a decided pixel of one field with pixel data of an interpolated pixel of the other field, the pixel data of the interpolated pixel being calculated using pixel data of two pixels of the other field to which the decided pixel is nearest in the interlace image, and combined pixel data being the interpolated data of the decided pixel of the one field.
6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising: outputting the interpolated data as pixel data of the same pixel of one of an odd number line and an even number line corresponding to the one field in the progressive image.
7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising: linearly combining the pixel data of a pixel of the other field corresponding to the decided pixel with pixel data of an interpolated pixel of the one field, the pixel data of the interpolated pixel being calculated using the pixel data of the decided pixel and a neighboring pixel of the one field, and combined pixel data being the interpolated data of the corresponding pixel of the other field.
8. The method according to claim 7 , further comprising: outputting the interpolated data as pixel data of the same pixel of the other of an odd number line and an even number line in the progressive image.
9. A method for converting an interlace image signal to a progressive image signal, the interlace image signal having a first field of pixel data of odd number lines and a second field of pixel data of even number lines, the progressive image signal having a frame of pixel data of odd number lines and even number lines, comprising: calculating a difference of pixel data between a pixel of one field and a corresponding pixel of a previous one field, the one field being the first field and the second field; deciding whether the pixel of the one field is in a static area or a moving area based on the difference; outputting, if the pixel of one field is in the static area, pixel data of the pixel of the one field as pixel data of the same pixel of one line corresponding to the one field in the progressive image; and outputting, if the pixel of one field is in the moving area, interpolated data of the pixel of the one field as pixel data of the same pixel of one line corresponding to the one field in the progressive image, the interpolated data being filtered pixel data along a temporal direction and a spatial direction.
10. The method according to claim 9 , at the deciding step, further comprising: deciding, if the difference is below a threshold, that the pixel is in the static area, and deciding, if the difference is not below the threshold, that the pixel is in the moving area.
11. The method according to claim 9 , at the first outputting step, further comprising: outputting the pixel data of the pixel of the first field as pixel data of the same pixel of an odd number line in the progressive image, and outputting the pixel data of the pixel of the second field as pixel data of the same pixel of an even number line in the progressive image.
12. The method according to claim 9 , at the second outputting step, further comprising: linearly combining the pixel data of a decided pixel of one field with pixel data of an interpolated pixel of the other field, the pixel data of the interpolated pixel being calculated using pixel data of two pixels of the other field to which the decided pixel is nearest in the interlace image, and combined pixel data being the interpolated data of the decided pixel of the one field.
13. The method according to claim 12 , further comprising: outputting, if the one field is the first field, the interpolated data as pixel data of the same pixel of an odd number line in the progressive image.
14. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising: outputting, if the one field is the second field, the interpolated data as pixel data of the same pixel of an even number line in the progressive image.
15. An apparatus for converting an interlace image signal to a progressive image signal, the interlace image signal having a first field of pixel data of odd number lines and a second field of pixel data of even number lines, the progressive image signal having a frame of pixel data of odd number lines and even number lines, comprising: a decision unit configured to calculate a difference of pixel data between a pixel of one field and a corresponding pixel of a previous one field, the one field being the first field or the second field, and to decide whether the pixel of the one field is in a static area or a moving area based on the difference; a first output unit configured to output, if the pixel of the one field is in the static area, pixel data of the pixel of the one field and pixel data of a corresponding pixel of the other field as pixel data of the same pixels of an odd number line and an even number line in the progressive image; and a second output unit configured to output, if the pixel of the one field is in the moving area, interpolated data of the pixel of the one field and interpolated data of a corresponding pixel of the other field as pixel data of the same pixels of an odd number line and an even number line in the progressive image, the interpolated data being filtered pixel data along a temporal direction and a spatial direction.
16. An apparatus for converting an interlace image signal to a progressive image signal, the interlace image signal having a first field of pixel data of odd number lines and a second field of pixel data of even number lines, the progressive image signal having a frame of pixel data of odd number lines and even number lines, comprising: a decision unit configured to calculate a difference of pixel data between a pixel of one field and a corresponding pixel of a previous one field, the one field being the first field and the second field, and to decide whether the pixel of the one field is in a static area or a moving area based on the difference; a first output unit configured to output, if the pixel of the one field is in the static area, pixel data of the pixel of the one field as pixel data of the same pixel of one line corresponding to the one field in the progressive image; and a second output unit configured to output, if the pixel of the one field is in the moving area, interpolated data of the pixel of the one field as pixel data of the same pixel of one line corresponding to the one field in the progressive image, the interpolated data being filtered pixel data along a temporal direction and a spatial direction.
17. A computer program product comprising: a computer readable program code embodied in said product for causing a computer to convert an interlace image signal to a progressive image signal, the interlace image signal having a first field of pixel data of odd number lines and a second field of pixel data of even number lines, the progressive image signal having a frame of pixel data of odd number lines and even number lines, said computer readable program code comprising: a first program code to calculate a difference of pixel data between a pixel of one field and a corresponding pixel of a previous one field, the one field being the first field or the second field; a second program code to decide whether the pixel of the one field is in a static area or a moving area based on the difference; a third program code to output, if the pixel of the one field is in the static area, pixel data of the pixel of the one field and pixel data of a corresponding pixel of the other field as pixel data of the same pixels of an odd number line and an even number line in the progressive image; and a fourth program code to output, if the pixel of the one field is in the moving area, interpolated data of the pixel of the one field and interpolated data of a corresponding pixel of the other field as pixel data of the same pixels of an odd number line and an even number line in the progressive image, the interpolated data being filtered pixel data along a temporal direction and a spatial direction.
18. A computer program product, comprising: a computer readable program code embodied in said product for causing a computer to convert an interlace image signal to a progressive image signal, the interlace image signal having a first field of pixel data of odd number lines and a second field of pixel data of even number lines, the progressive image signal having a frame of pixel data of odd number lines and even number lines, said computer readable program code comprising: a first program code to calculate a difference of pixel data between a pixel of one field and a corresponding pixel of a previous one field, the one field being the first field and the second field; a second program code to decide whether the pixel of the one field is in a static area or a moving area based on the difference; a third program code to output, if the pixel of the one field is in the static area, pixel data of the pixel of the one field as pixel data of the same pixel of one line corresponding to the one field in the progressive image; and a fourth program code to output, if the pixel of one field is in the moving area, interpolated data of the pixel of the one field as pixel data of the same pixel of one line corresponding to the one field in the progressive image, the interpolated data being filtered pixel data along a temporal direction and a spatial direction.
19. A method for converting an interlace image having a first and second field images into a progressive image having a frame image, comprising: receiving a series of pixel data of the first and second field images; calculating a first interpolated pixel data from a pair of neighboring pixel data in the first field image; calculating a difference of the first interpolated pixel data and a corresponding pixel data in the second field image; and generating a first frame pixel data for the frame image by interpolating the first interpolated pixel data and the corresponding pixel data in the second field image when the difference is larger than a threshold value, wherein the first frame pixel data is obtained from the corresponding pixel data in the second field image when the difference is not larger than the threshold value.
20. The method according to claim 19 , further comprising: calculating a second interpolated pixel data from the corresponding pixel data and its neighboring pixel data in the second field image; and generating a second frame pixel data for the frame image by interpolating the second interpolated pixel data and one of the pair of neighboring pixel data in the first field image when the difference is larger than the threshold value, wherein the second frame pixel data is obtained from the one of the pair of neighboring pixel data in the first field image when the difference is not larger than the threshold value.
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March 10, 2003
September 26, 2006
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